Previous articles in "Primary Science" have presented a range of ways to teach electricity in engaging and informative ways (e.g. Buckley and Harvey, 2014; Chapman, 2014; Norman, 2014; CLEAPSS, 2016) and Frank Harris provides an interesting historical account of the development and use of batteries in "School Science Review"…

The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light upon the issue of food insecurity in families, with school closures (for most children) drawing concern not simply because of the impact upon pupils' education, but also due to the lack of free school meals available for children in families with low incomes (Lalli, 2021). Since the pandemic, families in the…

In this article, the author considers ecosystems in a much more holistic way and encourages children to consider how all the interactions within that ecosystem affect the balance of it. There is hardly an ecosystem on Earth that has not been somehow affected by human interaction. Humans are the ultimate ecosystem engineers, and it is important to…

Policy makers in the UK are trying to improve school meals, by focusing on eating well. This article explores the way policies are framed by academic performance and health as a reason for providing school lunches. Using Nussbaum's capability approach we argue that the purpose of schooling should be to provide young people with the ability to lead…

In recent years, many schools have taken up food gardening. This is a welcome trend, but it has had to be conducted as an extracurricular activity, often with the help of, or run by, parents and grandparents. Growing vegetables and fruit, if it is to be done well, is a complex activity. The potential good outcomes for health, learning, and…

Objective: Preliminary evaluation in the United States (US) of a school-based fruit and vegetable (F/V) intervention, known as the "Food Dudes" (FD) program, developed in the United Kingdom. Methods: Over 16 days (Phase 1), elementary-school children (n = 253) watched short videos featuring heroic peers (the FD) eating F/V and received a…

This Research Briefing analyses Office for National Statistics data and finds children from the most advantaged households benefit from significantly more spending on extra-curricular activities and private tutoring than their poorer peers. The brief also includes the Trust's annual polling on private tuition and new polling on parents and…

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that it is possible to make major changes in a primary school with limited investment. I wish to present the methods used in this process which enabled me to examine the existing catering, to identify, investigate and research the problems, to explore the literature available and to synthesise my results…

A critical incident approach was used to analyze the discourse which took place during a visit by a class of 8- and 9-year olds to a gallery concerned with food at the Science Museum in London. Data collection, analysis, and interpretation are discussed. Suggests that a critical incident approach may be more generally helpful in analyzing the…

The Nutrition Division of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) held a seminar in November 2001 to discuss results from research projects related to encouraging good diets and identifying needs to ensure an integrated approach within schools. The principle aim of the seminar was to discuss the results from school-based interventions designed to increase…